Day: December 14, 2017

The Omega Speedmaster watches are the widely known and well respected all the time. First introduced in 1957, the fake Omega's Speedmaster chronograph is credited as being the only piece of equipment used in all of NASA's piloted space missions, from Gemini to the current International Space Station Program. We will take a closer look at an early iteration of Omega's legendary chronograph this week: the Omega Speedmaster replica watches.
Although there are some watches throughout history that have been approved by NASA for space flight, the Speedmaster remains the only one that is also qualified for use outside of a spacecraft and beyond the Earth's atmosphere. There have been countless variations of the Speedmaster released throughout its six-decade long production run; with certain vintage references attaining stratospheric levels of collectability.
This model is one of the oldest and most collectable among the various iterations of the Speedmaster. With a rather short production run that lasted from 1959 until 1962, the fake watch was produced with eight sub-references, each with their own list of subtle differences and variations.
Like all other Speedmaster watches, this model is powered by Omega's hand-wound, Caliber 321 movement. With an earlier and more limited production than the subsequent Caliber 861 and Caliber 1861 movements, the Caliber 321 movement and the early reference 2998 Speedmaster watches that contain it, are often considered the rarest and highly sought-after among collectors today.
One of the defining features of the fake Speedmaster is its 39 mm diameter case with straight lugs. Most contemporary Speedmaster references feature Omega's signature, twisted lugs; however the earliest iterations of the Speedmaster, such as the other models, had cases with straight lugs. This feature combined with its smaller case diameter and "Base 500" bezel with dot over 90, makes for an unmistakably vintage appearance.
What's more, unlike contemporary Speedmaster watches like the #SpeedyTuesday edition, this replica watch was fitted with triangular, "Alpha" hands. However, by the time Omega launched that model, only the central hour and minute hands were of the Alpha design; the chronograph sub-dials got fitted with straight hands, while the central seconds hand got fake Omega's "Spear" style chronograph hand.
Because of their age and limited production run, surviving examples of the replica Omega Speedmaster have become quite rare and valuable today. The Omega Speedmaster is among the most iconic and well-respected watches all over the world all the time.